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Billy Porter

Billy Porter

Born: 1969-09-21 • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

William Ellis Porter II (born September 21, 1969) is an American actor and singer. Porter gained notice performing on Broadway before starting a solo career as a singer and actor. For his role as Lola in Kinky Boots, Porter won the 2013 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical. He credits the part for "cracking open" his feminine side to confront toxic masculinity. Porter also won the 2014 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album for the musical's accompanying album.

Porter starred in all three seasons of the television series Pose, for which he was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards and won the 2019 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, becoming the first gay black man to be nominated and win in any lead acting category at the Primetime Emmys. In 2020, he was included on Time's list of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2022, he won another Tony Award for Best Musical as a producer for the musical A Strange Loop.

He made his directorial debut in 2022 with the romantic comedy film Anything's Possible. Porter received the Isabelle Stevenson Award at the 77th Tony Awards for his humanitarian work with the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and Entertainment Community Fund.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Billy Porter, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Filmography
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping poster
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping
2026 • Magno Stift
Billy Preston: That's the Way God Planned It poster
Billy Preston: That's the Way God Planned It
2026 • Self
Christmas Karma poster
Christmas Karma
2025 • The Ghost of Christmas Present
I Was Born This Way poster
I Was Born This Way
2025 • Self
Disco’s Revenge poster
Disco’s Revenge
2024
Eric André Live Near Broadway poster
Eric André Live Near Broadway
2024 • Self
Queen of New York poster
Queen of New York
2023
Our Son poster
Our Son
2023 • Gabriel
Truth Be Told poster
Truth Be Told
2023
Let the Canary Sing poster
Let the Canary Sing
2023 • Self
Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love poster
Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love
2023 • Self - Guest
Little Richard: I Am Everything poster
Little Richard: I Am Everything
2023 • Self
80 for Brady poster
80 for Brady
2023 • Gugu
Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to All! poster
Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to All!
2022 • Self
Homeward Bound: A Grammy Salute to the Songs of Paul Simon poster
Homeward Bound: A Grammy Salute to the Songs of Paul Simon
2022 • Self
PRIDE: To Be Seen - A Soul of a Nation Presentation poster
PRIDE: To Be Seen - A Soul of a Nation Presentation
2022 • Pray Tell (archive footage)
Cinderella poster
Cinderella
2021 • Fabulous Godmother
Smoke, Lilies and Jade poster
Smoke, Lilies and Jade
2021
Where Love Lives: A Story of Dancefloor Culture & Expression poster
Where Love Lives: A Story of Dancefloor Culture & Expression
2021 • (Himself)
25 Years of Rent: Measured in Love poster
25 Years of Rent: Measured in Love
2021
Pose-a-Thon for Pride poster
Pose-a-Thon for Pride
2020
Together in Pride: You Are Not Alone poster
Together in Pride: You Are Not Alone
2020 • Self
Like a Boss poster
Like a Boss
2020 • Barrett
Giving and Receiving poster
Giving and Receiving
2018 • Pray Tell
Every Act of Life poster
Every Act of Life
2018 • Self
The Humbling poster
The Humbling
2014 • Prince
Heart of Broadway: The Ensemble Behind Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS poster
Heart of Broadway: The Ensemble Behind Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
2011 • Himself
No Image
The Shoe
2011
Indie Sex: Teens poster
Indie Sex: Teens
2008
All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise poster
All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise
2006 • Himself
Fabulous! The Story of Queer Cinema poster
Fabulous! The Story of Queer Cinema
2006 • Self
Noel poster
Noel
2004 • Randy
The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy poster
The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy
2000 • Taylor
Intern poster
Intern
2000 • Sebastian Niederfarb
Colorz of Rage poster
Colorz of Rage
1999 • Street Performer
Anastasia poster
Anastasia
1997 • Ensemble and Character Vocals (voice)
Twisted poster
Twisted
1996 • Shiniqua, Angel's friend
Raquel: Total Beauty and Fitness poster
Raquel: Total Beauty and Fitness
1984
No Image
Camp
— • Mark
Broadway: The Next Generation poster
Broadway: The Next Generation
— • Self